Laundry Day!

  

  It's a fact of life in our family, and in most families around the world. There is laundry to do! It is a never ending job. Even if I do the laundry this morning, tonight before bedtime there will be more laundry. Everyone knows this!
   Today, I have dirty clothes to wash and dry, and fold, and put away. Only for them to be taken out, worn and thrown back into the laundry basket in a few days.  I was getting ready to lament about the chore when I thought about a sweet Missionary that visited our church yesterday. Mrs. Laura, told us about how her family spent many years in India and now in Israel. She also spoke of the needs of the missionaries and the people of those countries. I decided that I should be thankful that my family has clothing to wear, clean and laundered. That I have clean water and soap to wash those clothes with. How blessed we are and how little that we realize as a whole that we are. I am thankful that we don't have bombs flying over our home and having to be shot out of the sky before they land on our home.
   Earlier that day we had sat and had coffee in the air conditioning and comfort of a coffee house, out of the hot humid day here in the South. We spoke about the fact that we do not worry right now of the persecution that so many countries worry about. We were able to freely speak of God and Jesus without fear. We spoke about taking care of our families and teaching our children. Also, currently without fear.
   In some states it is now against the law to mention certain things that are in the Bible. How sad, that so many do not realize that they are only doing exactly what the scripture says will happen. How my heart breaks for those that don't know Jesus.
   If we had to live with the persecution that Christians in other countries live with, would we be so quick to say that we are Christians? Would you be ready to stand and not deny Jesus? I wonder...
    I won't be complaining about the laundry today. Today I choose to have an attitude of thankfulness. Thank You Father for the clothes that we have, and the many blessings that you have poured out on us. I love that you love me anyway.
And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.  Colossians 3:15

Blessings to All ~S~

Today I Choose

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. ~ C.S. Lewis

   Today I choose to serve God, by serving my husband and my family. By putting my husband and children ahead of myself. By doing the little things that he doesn't ask me to do, but that I know he notices.
   Today I choose to serve God, by being a Wife & Mother.

 Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord,  for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her  to make her holy, cleansing[g] her with the washing of water by the word.  He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.  In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, since we are members of His body.

 For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh

Eph. 5:22-31

Blessings to All ~S~

Sisters

 Oh, that Sisterly LOVE! This week one of my younger sisters came for a visit. She is the one that I have the most in common with, in that we both love country good stuff, we love cooking and canning, and quilting and crocheting. We love the mountains and country land and putting up good foods for our families. Time spent with her is usually never long enough.
  She came for a short visit this time and was here for two days. As they left today I felt like a part of me went with her. I miss my family so much some times. Not that I haven't made awesome friends here over the last twenty seven years, but there is just nothing like a sister that you've grown up with.
  In the last two days I took her to meet our Pastor and his wife, who they met via Skype when my sister would come to church with us from her home in NC. They finally got to meet in person. Such a fun time. Then we shared patterns for quilts and recipes and other crafts. We played on the wii fit and laughed so hard we almost cried. We watched the first hour of "The Truth Project" together. Shared stories of what God is doing in our lives and how He is growing us and how He has shown us grace and mercy.
   How I love my Sister.  Much like missing my Daughter and Son-in-Love, I miss my Sister and it is now too quiet around our home. again... :(

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This picture is from two years ago, but not much has changed. I hope and pray that it is not two years before we see each other again.

  Hope that everyone has an awesome day.

 Blessings to all ~S~

Unplugged

  Today is the first time in four days that I have been on the computer. I was so busy that I didn't have time to even turn it on.
  Actually it's been nice not to get drawn into the drama that is Facebook, and while E-mails are crazy when you don't check them for several days, it was nice knowing that my time was usefully spent.
  The e-mail were pretty easy to weed through. The only ones that I care about are the ones that are from family and friends, the devotionals and from our school. Otherwise everything else just went to the trash bin.
   Facebook though is a whole other world that I can get drawn into and lose hours on if I'm not careful. So while I have allowed myself the luxury of being on it for about an hour this morning, I will have to turn it off soon and close the laptop. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a little plugged in via my cell. Important things I have routed to my text messages. But only my closest friends and my family. That way the drama doesn't get out of hand. It's hard to unplug totally since my family and friends use so much technology to communicate.
   I like that when I'm unplugged from the computer, my home gets organized, sort of, and my laundry is done. Crocheting and sewing and talking with my family take place. Awesome! I've been exercising again and spending time outside. I feel alive!
   The weekend was a blast! Nick and Kelly came in for a visit and on Saturday we had the family down for dinner so that everyone could visit with them too. They had to leave Sunday and I miss them so much when they are gone. I wish that they lived closer to us, instead of over three hours away. After they left on Sunday, Jessica, Aimee and I went dress shopping for next years prom. Looking for a good sale. We didn't find anything that suited her or met our modesty requirements. But that's ok, there is time yet. We will continue the search.
   Yesterday, I canned seven more quarts of green beans, got my laundry caught up and spent time with some precious little girls. Today I have to clean the house and finish the green beans and spend some time crocheting some baby booties for a friend.
   I am so excited that my sister is coming for a visit! I love that we are able to get together for a few days. We have so much in common, we both crochet, and quilt and both love country life.  She's better at it than I am, and even though she is my younger sister, I learn so much from her.
   So now having said all of this, it is time once again to unplug and get busy doing the things that need to be done.
Love and Blessings to All ~S~